Contract ramblings, Jack's injury and thoughts on Kallstrom, Ozil and Bendtner

It's an eventful week for an Arsenal supporter.

New juicy deals for Mertesacker and Rosicky have been agreed, and Ramsey and Cazorla could be the next. Sagna and Bendtner are edging closer to the exit door, Wenger's situation remains uncertain, Wilshere has cracked his left foot, and most importantly, one of the most exciting deals of the transfer window could be in action against Everton.

I kid, of course. Signing Kim Kallstrom is hardly a deal that would send shivers even down his own cracked spine. However, I doubt that any Arsenal supporter would positively dread watching him take to the field. Yes, he symbolizes everything wrong with Wenger's transfer policy, but I'll still look forward to what he could possibly offer to the team.

Anyway, here are my takes on the recent flurry of activities:

On Mertesacker's and Rosicky's deals...
I'm delighted. Merty, for one, has signed his last long-term contract with Arsenal, which means that his best years are secure at this club. You'd be a fool if it took you this long to understand that he's been a terrific player this season. Under the influence of Steve Bould, Per has become an expert at reading the game and intercepting dangerous passes.

I hardly need to emphasize his partnership with Laurent Koscielny as well - all I can say is that they've been superb in forming one of the most stable Arsenal backlines since the Invincibles.

However, confidence has made Mertesacker much more than just a competent defender. He's become a leader, a vocal presence and one of Arsenal's nicest guys. Although a player like Bacary Sagna, for instance, has been one of our most consistent and reliable defenders for years altogether, his silent and sombre nature has meant that Gooners have almost taken him for granted. Mertesacker's forceful and vocal nature, however, has meant that he is considered indispensable to the team.

Tomas Rosicky's signing is also a fantastic piece of business. Word has it that he has signed a 2 year contract, which means that he is almost certain to retire at Arsenal. I love the guy, his never-say-die attitude and an obsession to pass the ball forward makes him an important part of the team. He is clearly desperate to make up for lost time. His tendency to press the ball high up and put in astounding workrate game after game is a rare sight from a 33 year old.

He celebrated his new contract in fine fashion too, scoring a good goal against Norway. It goes without saying that if he can replicate this goalscoring trait in the coming three months and stay clear of injuries, he'll be one of our players of the season.

On Ramsey's and Cazorla's rumoured deals...
Arsenal are rightly tying up their key players to new deals with a hope to keep them for the foreseeable future. While Sagna's, Podolski's and Vermaelen's futures remain uncertain, players like Mertesacker, Rosicky, Koscielny, Wilshere, Gibbs, Ozil, Walcott and Chamberlain are set to stay for the next season and the one after it in all likelihood. It's delightful to add Santi and Rambo to that list.

Cazorla is awesome. While I know that he's not had much influence on our team this season due to injury (and Wenger stupidly shunning him out wide), he's just a joy to watch when in the mood. There are only so many players in the world who possess qualities like dribbling, finishing, shot power, pace and two-footedness. In a twist of cruel fate, the only other person I know with these traits is Julian Draxler.

To think that we've tied down our own Ronaldinho for our future plans leaves me salivating.

If that leaves me salivating, the news of Ramsey signing a new contract (IF the reports are accurate) would leave me choking for breath. Even though I was surprised in finding myself to be pretty much the only one unnerved by his rumoured 100K per week, I'm happy with Wenger letting go of his 'socialist' wage structure.

For the first time in a long time, players at Arsenal are not leaving the club due to money issues. The ghosts of Ashley Cole and Samir Nasri are finally disappearing.

I agree that Ramsey has undergone a transformational season. However, I'm still not sure that his superb run is one that has permanently made him a much better footballer. Seeing that he had already signed a long-term deal in December 2013, it's a bit of a financial gamble from Arsene to dish out a much juicier deal to the same player based on 6 months of form. I don't know if Ozil's high wages are forcing Wenger to give others a pay rise or that he's simply fearful of losing his key men, but either way, things are panning out positively. Oh, speaking of Ozil...

OZIL wasn't booed, Joachim Lowe was...
It's shameful to see the media relentlessly piling on Ozil's bad times by suggesting that he was the one being jeered when taken off. Ozil, on the contrary, had assisted Mario Goetze's goal and received an award before the match, why would he be booed by his own supporters then?

In an attempt to clear out another myth, I want to point out that his assist doesn't mean Arsenal are going to see inspired performances from him. Maybe Lowe's indication that Ozil might miss out on the World Cup's squad could instigate him, but I wouldn't put my money on it. Not when he's surrounded by slowcoaches like Giroud and a tactical blockhead for a manager. Still, I'll play the waiting game on this one.

Jack Wilshere won't be sorely missed...
With all due respect to Jack, I feel that his unexpected lengthy layoff won't affect Arsenal that badly. For one, we have Aaron Ramsey who is returning, not to mention Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who can be half-decent in that role. Flamini and Arteta are options as well, not to forget Abou Diaby who might return later in March.

Kim Kallstrom, dare I add, is an option as well. I know that he isn't what fans wanted (me neither), but the fact remains that his return from injury literally makes him a "new signing", and I'm instinctively excited to see how he plays. I know that I'm sounding incredibly far-fetched and optimistic, but should he put in some Flamini-esque shifts and contribute to some silverware, it'd be a fairytale story and Wenger would be held as a messiah.

Bendtner confirms, Sagna to leave as well?
After (would you believe it) a decade at Arsenal, Nicklas Bendtner has declared that he won't be extending his contract (assuming we offered him one). In one of many frank statements, Bendy said:

"I’m not going to stay at Arsenal – first team football is what I’m after. The plan is for me to move on. I’m ready for a new challenge. To keep my spot I need to play regularly."

Honestly? I'm sad to see him go. Not because I think he has a future at Arsenal, or because I consider him as apt backup to Giroud. However, ever since he scored against Cardiff, I've subconsciously extracted him out of my mind's categories of 'deadwoods' and placed him in 'memories'. I know it's a bit weird to miss an egoistical, deluded and annoying footballer, but it's just how I feel. All I can hope is that Wenger (presuming he stays) buys a much better replacement in the summer.

Elsewhere, Bacary Sagna has remained defiantly quiet. I still staunchly believe that his future depends on Arsenal winning a trophy or not, so it's kind of unpredictable to deduce if he's staying or not. While the league is dead, the FA Cup is very much on, and I'm not ruling it out. On the contrary, I'm pinning all of my hopes on it.

Fabianski, Viviano, Bendtner; three departures have been confirmed. If we don't win anything, I believe Sagna, Vermaelen and Podolski will be added to that list. With the prospect of buying 7 players in one window looking very much possible, I don't want Wenger overseeing such a busy transfer window. He fell short of 2 players in the last summer and 2 players the summer before - there's almost a guarantee we'll witness the same dithering and indecision in the next transfer window with him at the helm.

Wenger still hasn't signed a new contract; that gives me hope. However, I'm not going to pin all my hopes on that, because factors like an unpredictable board and a stubborn manager come into play. Instead, I'll put my hopes on something much more tangible - the FA Cup tie against Everton.

There's no denying that winning the FA Cup will save our season. Lose the game tomorrow, and our season finishes just like that. Win it, and we get closer to a trophy and closer to stemming an exodus.

It's time to get serious.

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )

Stoke vs Arsenal: Match Preview + Sagna stuff

I hate Stoke City.

I know that Ryan Shawcross has mellowed a lot since that tackle on Aaron Ramsey. I know that the anti-football cap-wearing dimwit Tony Pulis isn't the manager of Stoke City anymore. I know that after Rory Delap retired, Stoke seldom adopt throw-ins as a method to cross the ball into the box.  I also know that under Mark Hughes, they don't employ dirty, rugby long-ball tactics to an extent.

However, I still find their fans (what is the word for...?) evil. And that's not to say I don't have good reason. How dare they plan to boo Ramsey after what their player did to him? I can't believe that a section of supporters could be so deluded, so heartless and so moronic that they plan to abuse a player who did no harm to them, only to find out that he isn't going to be taking any part in the match due to injury.

As an Arsenal supporter, I have almost been taught to hate the Spuds. (I would have anyway, what kind of club do you have to be to spend £100m and fight for fifth place?) However, if I wasn't an Arsenal supporter and watched the EPL as a neutral viewer, I'd have probably hated Chelsea, Manchester City and Stoke City much, much more.

The reasons to hate Chelsea and City are blindingly obvious. Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan have corrupted the finances of the game and won their teams accolades purely because of money. The clubs have leaned on the bottomless pits of cash to be competitive, and shamelessly bragged about that. Most of their supporters are plastic as well; I know very few Manchester City or Chelsea supporters who actually had heard of these clubs before the money rolled in.

However, hating Stoke City is entirely different; it's primarily because I don't know any other side that is so anti-Arsenal. While we play beautiful football, they keep booting the ball to their ex-Spud target man. While we have decent individuals who have a limit to their aggression (bar Flamini!), they are raw apes who thrive on Shawcrossing everyone like it's their privilege to do so.

I'm not saying that playing with aggression in football is wrong. On the contrary it's how the game is supposed to be played, because football is a contact sport. However, Stoke tend to overdo it a lot and set no limits (or indeed, technique) to their sliding challenges. While it's notable that they have cut down on that factor this season, I simply can't stop hating them. Not because of the Aaron Ramsey thing, but because of the reaction from their 'fans' later.

I'm not going to tell this team to win the match for Aaron Ramsey, that's frankly too outdated and cliched. Instead, I'm going to be as level-headed and logical as possible and hope that the team wins, simply because the next games are far from winnable. After Stoke, we face the Spuds, City, Chelsea and Everton in the league (3 away games), all of which are matches where points can and will be dropped. Oh yeah, and a crucial FA Cup tie along with a trip to Munich as well.

I know that going to the Britannia stadium and winning is a difficult task. The last time we won there was when Ramsey broke his leg. However, compared to the gauntlet we're set to go through, this is a game we should win anyhow, seeing that we're title challengers.

In team news, we have a bit of a left back crisis, with Kieran Gibbs definitely out and Nacho Monreal a doubt. If Monreal fails to make it, then Wenger should have some curious options to try out. Should he deploy a match unfit Thomas Vermaelen at left back who's crying out for game time? Or should he field Mathieu Flamini there and partner Jack Wilshere along with Mikel Arteta? Of course, there's also the possibility of Sagna covering left back and Carl Jenkinson going onto the right.

It's a tough call, but I think that Monreal would be fit and will start on the left for this game. In hindsight, it wouldn't be the worst thing. While I understand that he's not the most reliable defender in our back line, pitting Monreal against Robben is very different than against Odemwingie. I'm sure that if he starts today he'll do a good job.

If he can't start then I'd want Vermaelen on the left, mostly because I don't want to disposition Flamini or Sagna for a game in which their aggression and physicality are vital. And before you attempt to remind me that Vermaelen is being mispositioned himself, let me point out that Tommy played as a left-back for Ajax before Arsenal came calling, so that position won't be a mystery to him.

The rest of the back line picks itself, with Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny and Mertesacker. A game like Stoke MUST require the services of Flamini, who would presumably partner the equally aggressive Jack Wilshere. A good, aggressive, squad thus far I'd say.

While Giroud seems set to start after the whole model scandal has cooled, the front trio should be a bit of a welcome problem for the manager. The manager has Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gnabry, Ozil, Rosicky, Cazorla and Podolski to choose for three slots, so it'll be interesting to see what lineup he does select.

Personally, I'd go for Chamberlain on the right, Podolski on the left and Rosicky in the center - The Ox and Podolski are players that can match (or come close to matching) Stoke's physical nature, and Rosicky can have a big impact if he replicates his rough housing nature that he earlier performed against Newcastle. I for one wouldn't use this as game for Mesut Ozil's comeback - the physicality at the Britannia might startle him.

However, knowing Wenger, I'd say that Ozil is set to start. With Wenger, I'd predict that Ozil would begin with Chambo and Cazorla on the wings, and Giroud the obvious choice upfront. While I'm not particularly against this decision (Ozil will undoubtedly be raring to shake of criticism), I fear for Ozil's fitness if this does happen.

All in all, we should be having enough to beat Stoke City. With Liverpool facing a tricky away tie to Southampton and Chelsea traveling to Craven Cottage for a London derby (not to mention City not playing at all this weekend), there is a genuine chance of the top four shuffling positions. Let's choose forward today.

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In other news, interesting quotes from Bacary Sagna have come out, where he oh-so clearly stated that he loves Arsenal and wants to continue his future here. However, he also labeled the trophyless streak as "embarrassing", which just shows me how badly he wants to win at this club. However, if we win nothing, "win at this club" could quickly change to "win anywhere". We've seen it happen with Robin before, let's not continue that trend.

After the 5-2 win against the Spuds back in February 2012, van Persie had said:

“I am a true Gunner. I love this club and that’s no secret. We will soon talk about many things. There’s nothing complicated or sinister - the Club and I have both agreed to speak at the end of the season and see how things stand. The boss, Ivan Gazidis and I are all comfortable with it."

I'm sorry, but I still don't doubt that Robin character was close to the present Sagna's. However, the eventual lure for trophies caught up with him and he left the club in search of glory, just like Nasri. And Fabregas. And Clichy. And Adebayor. And Hleb. And Henry, to a certain extent.

Sagna says:

“I love Arsenal, I love playing for Arsenal, I love my team. Arsenal is the most followed team in France and I remember I used to watch them when I was in France so it was a pleasure to play for them, so why leave?"

If we don't win a trophy, I'm certain that his love for Arsenal will evaporate in a trice. And I don't blame him - ambitious footballers want to be surrounded with players that can win them rewards. I don't think that the contract length is a major issue here, Sagna is refusing to sign a new deal because he still isn't convinced that Arsenal is a club that can give him trophies. Come May, we need to turn that around.

I don't understand the concept of not giving Sagna a long term deal now. It's not like we'd make a hefty loss if the gamble of paying him a long-term deal backfires. Players like Almunia, Mannone, Eboue, Squillaci, Djourou, Santos, Denilson, Arshavin, Gervinho, Chamakh and countless others who clogged up our wage bill are long gone, which means that we can now afford a loss on a player who deserves to retire at the club anyway.

I say give Sagna what he needs, it's about time he's given a substantial pay rise on his paltry £60K salary. He's one of the best right backs in the country and one of the most versatile and loyal players at Arsenal. Not giving him a salary rise just because he's 30 is madness.

Let's hope Wenger realizes that.

P.S. Interesting stuff from Theo Walcott as well, read it if you have the time.
And Santi has signed a new deal, yay!

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )

My idea of an ideal January transfer window

Now that our fate is sealed in the Champions League (Bayern Munich it is!) and we have a clear picture of what chances we have in all competitions, it's getting blindingly obvious that our squad needs reinforcements to win a trophy, any trophy for that matter. However mystical the circumstances, signing Mesut Ozil was a step in the right direction, but we still need to capitalize on that, especially when we finally have the financial muscle to do so.

The below signings are purely hypothetical in nature, and they are in no way predicting the manager's transfer dealings in the winter. Without further ado, here is the activity that I would like to see us indulge in in January 2014 to ensure a successful 2013/14 campaign:

Buy a striker:

Let's start with the obvious one first.

It's getting clearer with every passing game that the season has already taken its toll on Olivier Giroud. He's now failed to score in the past 6 games, and while it was entirely down to him when he failed to find the back of the net in Manchester (well he did, but the linesman wrongly called him off), the overwhelming burden for him to perform in every single match is clearly not something that he can handle.

True, Robin van Persie did it 2 seasons ago, but there's a significant difference between him and Ollie. Robin was world class, and while Giroud can be really good on his day, he's currently nowhere near the league of the finest. The need for support to Giroud couldn't be clearer, really. Just as Ivan Gazidis said, "We need to buy."

A striker who would provide suitable backup or competition for Giroud might be an acceptable signing even for the most pessimistic Arsenal fan. Yes, I am more than welcome towards that idea, but I feel that we should buy a player who is significantly different than Giroud. Ollie portrays a target man, and he is also more of a creator. This team needs a more of a finisher upfront, not to mention a more mobile striker than Giroud.

While signing Fernando Torres or Demba Ba isn't a bad idea at all, I think we've learned our lesson of not dealing with Jose Mourinho by now. We were really close to getting Ba this summer, but Chelsea apparently 'pulling out' of the deal makes me feel that Mourinho planned this scenario all along.

I also DON'T want us getting Luis Suarez, not just because he's a despicable bitey racist, but also because Liverpool won't be looking to sell him to a title rival, at least not for a £40m-ish price. We wasted our time courting him in the summer, and should really avoid doing the same in January. Plus, I'm confident that a player like him won't stay for too long at Arsenal. He'll probably bite another center back and hand in a transfer request to try to force a move to Real Madrid.

I'd be more satisfied with a signing like Alvaro Morata, frankly. He's young, he adds a new dimension to our side and he won't exactly cost us a fortune. Plus, he could be a powerful option from the bench, and would also provide Giroud with suitable cover, or indeed, healthy competition. He's 21, which would make him a short term answer as well as a long term one. Since we have so much experience in the team, young blood won't hurt us so much now as it used to earlier.

However, we need to remember that the Invincibles left us a blueprint. Sooner or later, we need to replicate that squad which won the league so famously 10 years ago. We already have Ozil who can replace Bergkamp and Santi Cazorla to acceptably fill in for Robert Pires or Freddy Ljungberg. However, Giroud or a possible Morata cannot come close to replace Thierry Henry, and while signing Morata would be a step in the right direction, on comparison with the Invincibles, it would actually seem like a step back.

The closest thing that I've seen to Henry in this footballing world is Karim Benzema, and I would absolutely love to see a player like him in Arsenal colours. He would be a phenomenal move towards recreating the glory days, and while such a marquee signing isn't really a necessity to win us the league this season, signing Benzema would have the exact Ozil implications on the club, maybe even more.

Even though he is cup-tied to Real Madrid this season, his mere presence might intimidate Bayern Munich and possibly get us through them. While I'm still open to the idea of signing a support striker similar to Morata, a marquee Henry-esque signing would not only near guarantee us the league, but also mark the beginning of a new era.

Sell Bendtner or Park:

The acquisition of any striker would undoubtedly pave the way toward the exit for either Park or Bendtner. While there are many supporters who want to see the backs of both of them leave at once, I feel that we need to keep at least one of them at the club for a bit of reserve backup. Of course, I would want Bendtner to leave, because even though his game is showing improvement and he is appearing more motivated, there is no doubt that he wants out of Arsenal in the near future. In addition, his mere presence is an infuriating sight to a healthy section of our fans, who are reminded of the bitter memories we had with him in the team.

Park should stay, mainly because I would hate for our striker options to jump from Giroud to Yaya Sanogo. Plus, he hasn't really had a chance at proving his worth for the club, and it's about time that he's given one.

Renew Bacary Sagna's contract:

Bac's arguably been our best defender this season, and yet there's the uncertainty of him having a future at this club. Sagna spoke out very recently, confirming reports that contract talks are indeed ongoing, but refusing to confirm if he will commit to them. Bac says:

"I would love to win trophies with this club, it's a club I love so much but something is missing. I've still got six months on my contract with Arsenal. We are in negotiations. It's an option to go somewhere in January but I always had a good relationship with Arsenal. I've been playing there for seven years and i hope we will end up on something good. First of all I want to finish champion because we have got a good opportunity to do it this year and after we will see..."

It seems that his decision to stay or to depart the club depends on our title hopes this season. You don't exactly need to read between the lines to understand that if we do manage to win a trophy this year, Sagna would happily pen his signature, pledging his future to the club. It's almost the same situation that we've had with our other departed world class players in our team, and it's imperative that we halt that right now. If winning the Premier League means that Sagna stays at the club, so be it.

Jenkinson's a satisfactory defender, but one feels that he still has a lot to learn. Handing Sagna around a 3 year extension would mean that he has plenty of time to pass on his experience and wisdom to Carl, after which he can retire a club legend or shift to being a center half, which would extend his remaining playing years. He's been one of our loyal servants throughout the drought, and we need to make sure it stays that way. Not the drought, but Sagna's future at the club!

The incentive to win a trophy this season just got bigger.

Sign a centre back:

We have three very good center backs, in Mertesacker, Koscielny and Vermaelen. It's more of quantity than quality that would satisfy me here, to be honest. A promising center half or a half decent, versatile defender would be more than okay with me. I won't even mind Djourou or Ignasi Miquel filling in here, after being recalled from loan. However, maybe we can give Semi Ajayi a chance and promote him to the Arsenal first team squad. Experience from Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen and Nacho Monreal might just work wonders for him, and who knows, we might have another gem on our hands.

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So, there you go. If we manage to get a decent striker, seal Sagna's future and add depth to our defence, we'll have a squad well-equipped to win the Premier League or even the FA Cup in my opinion. Maybe adding depth to our defence isn't even all that necessary, seeing that we have Mathieu Flamini and Bacary Sagna who can slot in there temporarily.

I look at this current Arsenal side, and I see a glorious chance to end our trophy drought this season. With Villas-Boas sacked by the Spuds, we have a higher chance of getting past them in the FA Cup in January, because they would undoubtedly struggle to find their feet under a new manager. However, the unpredictable nature of the knockout tournament means that any shock loss would immediately see us exit from the competition. Winning the Champions League is almost a lost cause now, especially if Bayern Munich complete the imminent signing of Robert Lewandowski from Dortmund.

However, the Barclays Premier League is the only competition that we have in our hands. The nature of the league is such that you can lose against the big teams, yet give a real push for the title. We're atop the league at the moment, and we need to keep that lead until May to win a trophy we have a very realistic chance of winning.

It's since 2008 that we've been presented with a lead at the top of the pile, and a glorious chance of winning the league. Such opportunities clearly do not arrive regularly for us, and we need to capitalize on it by getting a striker, at the very least. Make absolutely no mistake, it's not the failure to qualify for the Champions League, but finishing anywhere other than first this season that would signal a disaster for the club.

January's a fortnight away, but the top of the table clash against Chelsea is only a week away. For now, our lads have to give their all for the upcoming match, and leave the transfer hassles to Arsene in January.

This is the best Arsenal side I've seen in years. Will we get better in January and finally lift that trophy?

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )